Grey Squirrel

Native to the hardwood forests of North America, the Grey squirrel was introduced into South Africa by Cecil John Rhodes. At the turn of the 19th century he released squirrels on Groote Schuur estate in Cape Town. By the 1970’s their range had extended as far as Swellendam in the Western Cape. Their distribution is patchy and discontinuous being closely associated with oak trees and pine plantations, and expands and contracts with the establishment and removal of the trees. They are also found in vineyards and deciduous fruit orchards where pine trees have been planted as windbreaks. Readily available water is also an important requirement. Grey squirrels are unable to utilize fynbos vegetation, and this serves to buffer its spread. Most of the indigenous trees do not bear fruit or berries suitable for their food requirements. To date their range remains confined to the south-western Cape and in most cases the squirrels will only expand their range by introduction new plantations.Restricted to pine and oak plantations, as well as suburban gardens in the south-western Cape. Natural distribution is North America.